Getting Tough with the Dragon? The Comparative Correlates of Foreign Policy Attitudes towards China in the United States and United Kingdom

Abstract

A large body of research suggests mass publics are capable of thinking coherently about international relations. We extend this body of research to show that domain relevant postures—in our case, more abstract beliefs about foreign policy—are related to how tough of a line representative samples of US and UK respondents want their governments to take towards China. More specifically, we utilize a unique comparative survey of American and British foreign policy attitudes to show broad support for toughness towards China. Beliefs about the use of the military and attitudes regarding globalisation help explain preferences for tough economic and military policies towards China. In the two countries, the relationship between general foreign policy outlooks and the positions citizens take is robust to the addition of a general mediator that controls for the general affect those surveyed have towards China. Finally, the strength of the relationship between these abstract postures and specific preferences for a China policy are different across the countries.